Evolution of Wellness Design

New Tools for Enhancing Campus Wellness

By John Ryan, AIA Posted on May 21, 2018

In my first week of graduate school, the department chair told our cohort – “What we do here is not normal. That’s why we provide student health services.” He then launched into a listing of the various services provided by the university for student wellness, reciting a litany of different offices and facilities for safety and security, mental, physical and emotional health. Over time, we’ve come to think of student wellness as a set of disparate health services provided for student well-being. This change has largely resulted from specific trends and changes in college healthcare needs, such as rising stress and anxiety levels among students, attention deficit disorders, suicide awareness and prevention, and increasing levels of violence and sexual assault on...

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Winning Credit for Your Work

An Expert's View

By Cynthia L. Taylor Posted on May 15, 2018

Securing basic credit and even modest visibility for design projects is a frequent frustration for architects. If your firm does not have the resources for a high-impact publicity campaign, a few simple steps can still help you receive appropriate credit. The process does not have to be time-consuming or expensive, but it does require a little creativity and follow-through. Write it down One of the first and most important steps begins with your contract. Include a requirement that all project publicity will mention your firm. Whether your firm is the “prime,” part of a design-build or JV partnership, design architect or architect-of-record, be sure this is addressed in your professional agreement. Next, create a solid description of the project. While...

"A great narrative that people connect with is so often key to inspiring great architecture."

Name: Larry Fabbroni Firm: Strada Years in practice: 15 Education: BArch and Masters of Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon Your first job: Surveying assistant for my father’s business. I was around construction sites from a very early age, learning about site planning and observing all of the disciplines that contribute to new buildings. Favorite tool (can be digital, drafting, physical,…): Story-telling. A great narrative that people connect with is so often key to inspiring great architecture. Favorite building: NY Public Library Main Branch Favorite outdoor space: In Pittsburgh: Schenley Park (also maybe the beer garden at Grist House…)…outside of Pittsburgh: Las Ramblas and Assateague Island beaches. Architect you’d like to have a drink with: Marilyn Jordan Taylor If you hadn’t become an architect, what would you...

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Architects Action Day 2018

Architects advocate in Harrisburg

By AIA Pittsburgh Posted on April 26, 2018

Attendees having some fun in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Image credit AIA Pennsylvania. Tuesday, April 17th members of AIA Pittsburgh joined with architects from across the state, led by AIA Pennsylvania, for Architects’ Day 2018. Nearly 50 architects joined in for this advocacy day in Harrisburg where they met with senators and congressmen from their respective districts. It was a busy day for Pittsburgh members who met with Senator Randy Vulakovich, Senator Jay Costa’s staff, Senator Wayne Fontana, Representative Jake Wheatley, Representative Paul Costa, Representative Dom Costa, Representative Frank Dermody, Representative Ed Gainey, Representative Harold English, and Representative Michael Turzai. In order to promote architects’ role in the health, safety, and welfare of the public, attendees dropped off over 200 educational...

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Striking a Balance Between Voice and Vision

Terry Schwarz's Keynote Address at Build Pittsburgh 2018

By Maya Henry Posted on April 19, 2018

Image credit CUDC/MOOS. The theme of Build Pittsburgh 2018 was “design with purpose.” This year’s Keynote Address was given by Terry Schwarz, FAICP to a crowded ballroom of early risers who gathered to hear about design culture and community engagement from the director of Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC). Schwarz began her presentation by proposing that community design does not need to be about the community OR design (discuss!) but that placemaking could, in fact, include both facets working together. Portions of Schwarz’s keynote address are captured here. Schwarz began by showing examples of her early fascination with Bauhaus design and then showed how residents repurposed the spare spaces in Mies van der Rohe’s Layfette Park in Detroit...

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My Day at McMurray Elementary School

Presenting to Elementary Students on the Practice of Architecture

By Jennifer Beck, AIA Posted on April 12, 2018

New Peters Township High School Rendering, Hayes Design Group Architects Jennifer Beck, AIA, Project Architect at Hayes Design Group Architects, recently attended Career Day at Peters Township School District’s McMurray Elementary School. She, along with a number of other special guests, presented to fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students about different careers to consider. Jennifer shared information about the field of architecture and all that goes into designing buildings. She also showed the students some examples of HDG’s recent projects, including the design of the new Peters Township High School (which recently went out to bid). After Career Day, Jennifer received a number of very creative and thoughtful thank you notes from the students! Peters Township’s McMurray Elementary School holds a...

Book Review

Great Design is Not a Finite Resource

A Review of John Cary's Design for Good

By Robert Bailey, AIA Posted on March 28, 2018

This is a book about stories – remarkable stories –that are primarily about people and secondarily about satisfying design projects. The stories tell us of projects that came to fruition because people had the will to make them happen. We learn about architects who realized that their mission is designing for social justice. We discover the individuals engaged in nonprofit or nongovernmental agency work that the designers have partnered with in moving these projects forward. Most importantly, we learn about people who have been directly affected by the projects described in the stories. Author John Cary is an architect by training and an advocate for architecture born of, and contributing, to social change. Cary is also a writer and speaker...

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What Happens After School?

Emerging Designers Transitioning from School to Work

By Bea Spolidoro, AIA Posted on March 19, 2018

Recently, the Carnegie Mellon University’s AIAS chapter invited the Young Architects Forum to discuss ‘the aftermath’ of studying architecture. What happens once University is over? Should you accept your first offer or keep searching for the perfect job? What about teaching and researching? Eight panelists, with different backgrounds and work experiences, gave thoughtful answers to the good questions the students asked. Pursuing licensure is a fundamental step for people wanting to practice architecture. Getting registered involves studying with dedication, patience in gaining AXP hours, and a substantial budget. Students that find themselves unsure about what to do after earning their degree in architecture might postpone becoming licensed until they feel sure about their choice. After all, almost every architecture school...

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Restored by the Fords

Architects on Reality TV

By Maya Henry Posted on March 8, 2018

Photo credit Lexi Ribar Greg Dutton and Matt Diersen, AIA of Midland Architecture have had a long working relationship with interior designer Leanne Ford, completing many residential projects, both in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. In fact, one of their first collaborations was just awarded Best Kitchen Renovation by Pittsburgh Magazine. So when Ms. Ford, along with her carpenter brother Steve, was looking for an architect to help with the technical aspects involved in bringing the ideas to life for their new renovation show, they reached out to Midland to collaborate. The pilot episode of Restored by the Fords aired in December on HGTV and after a well-received first season, a second season has already been green-lit. The show features types of homes that you see all...

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Q&A with Kuza Woodard of IMPACCT Brooklyn

What Can Pittsburgh Learn from Brooklyn's Struggle to Maintain Affordability?

By Maya Henry Posted on February 24, 2018

These days Pittsburgh and Brooklyn share a similar dilemma: the rapid acceleration of a real estate market that makes affordable housing development and preservation highly challenging for nonprofits. Recently Columns spoke with Kuza Woodard, Director of Real Estate for the nonprofit advocacy group IMPACCT Brooklyn about the creative partners and funding mechanisms that have aided his organization in its mission to maintain and develop affordable housing options in Central Brooklyn. Maya Henry, Editor, Columns (MH): Tell us a little bit about IMPACCT Brooklyn and your role there. Kuza Woodard (KW): IMPACCT Brooklyn has been around since 1964, so over 50 years providing all kinds of community improvement services in Central Brooklyn. Our focus areas are affordable housing, home ownership, as well as...